Francois Parent (1842 - 1922) and Martine St. Amand (1846 - 1934)(
Now that I dealt with the issue of dispensations for consanguinity as it relates to the marriage of Francois Parent and Martine St. Amand i can move on to writing about their lives.
Francois Parent was born on May 1, 1842 in Sutton which is in what is now called Georgina township in York county although in 1842 Sutton was part of North Gwillimbury before the two townships were amalgamated. Francois' parents were Simon Parent (1793 - 1874) and Josephte Andre dit St. Amand (1809 - 1891). It is interesting to note that Francois was born just five years after the 1837 rebellion lead by Mackenzie King, the grandfather of one of our most notable prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King. I mention this because the rebellion was largely centered North of Toronto in the county of York where Francois was born. It is probably that Francois' father, Simon Parent, would have been living in the North Gwillimbury when the rebellion took place. In the very least, he would have known about the rebellion. It is insightful to be able to put our ancestors into a historical context. It helps us to understand them in a historical context because they lived in a historical time.
The first record that I have of Francois Parent is in the 1861 Census of Canada, Enumeration District 2, North Gwillimbury, in the county of York. He is listed as being 17 years old and single. This listing of Francois' age does not add up. If he was born in 1842 then in 1861 he would have been 19, not 17. This will be verified later in 1868.
Francois' occupation was listed as 'labourer'. I would interpret the term 'laborer' as someone who was working on a farm. What I understand from my cousin Leonard Parent is that Francois was probably working on the farm of an older Parent relative. We can also assume that Francois had probably been working on a farm since he was very young and that he probably did not have any formal education. The Census record indicates that Francois spoke French but that he could not read or write .
The Census list Francois' place of birth as 'CW' which I interpret as being Canada West because he was born in Sutton which was in North Gwillimbury, county York, Canada West. In the Census, Francois Parent is listed as Frank Perault. This change of name started with Francois' father Simon. Since the Census takers were most likely all anglophones they had to interpret what they heard and write it down as they understood it. Since Neither Francois or Simon, or any of the Parents could read or write at that time the responsibility for documenting their name rested with the Census taker. I imagine that is how Francois became Frank and how Parent became Perault. Depending on how they pronounced 'Parent' it could sound like 'Perault' to the ear of the unilingual anglophone.
The next reference that I have for Francois Parent is his marriage record in 1868. Francois Parent and Martine St. Amand were married on February 15, 1868. At the time of their marriage, Francois was 26 years old and living in North Gwillimbury. Martine was 20 years old. Unfortunately, I cannot make out her residence. All that I can read is 'Mara'. I am not sure where that would be.I did find on Family Search.com that Martine St. Amand was born in St. Ignace, Soulange, Quebec which would be consistent with the fact that Simon was born there and knew the St. Amand family because he married Josette Andre Dit St. Amand, Martine's cousin. Francois' age is in line with his date of birth so the age listed in the 1861 Census was incorrect, Francois would have been 19 years old in 1861. In the marriage record Francois is listed as being born in 'CW' (Canada West?) and his parents were Simon Parent and Josette St. Amand. According to Family search, Francois and Martine were married at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church in Beaverton, Ontario. According to the marriage record Francois and Martine were married by Father Braire. Father Braire was the parish priest of St. Joseph's church in Beaverton from 1860 until 182. This would verify that Francois and Martine were married at St. Joseph's church.
During their fifty four years of marriage Francois and Martine raised six children, two daughters and four sons; Elizabeth Frances Parent (1869 - 1911), George Parent (Perrault) (1872 - 1952), Alfred Eldon Parent (1876 - 1959), Nicklous 'Nick' Parent (1880 - 1966), and Francis Martha Parent (1886 - 1956). The information that I have to date on the Children is incomplete. George Parent was baptized on April 24, 1872. Josep Parent, Paul Parent and their wives were the sponsors. The officiating priest was father L. Briare which means that the baptism took place at St. Joseph's church in Beaverton, Ontario. Alfred was married on May 11, 1903 to Rose Alba Lalonde, he was 28 years old which seems to be old to be married at that time. His residence was listed as Tiny, Ontario. Rose was also a resident of Tiny, Ontario. her parents were Joseph Lalonde and Liza Grenier. The witnesses were Michelson Parent and Delima St. Amand. The officiating priest was J.E. Beaudoin (cure). The last record I have is the baptism of Francis Martha Parent. She was born on October 8, 1886 and baptised on January 8, 1887. Her place of birth was listed as St. Patrick. Her parents were Francois Parent and her mother was listed as Martha Andre The sponsors were Philias Pelletier and Elizabeth Parent. The officiating priest was father Joseph Gibbons.
Now is the sad part, the death of Francois Parent and Martine St. Amand. I have the death certificates for Francois and Martine. According to Francois' death certificate he died of heart failure at Sunnyside hospital in Midland. I am always surprised at how basic information on a death certificate is either wrong or missing, but then again it is dependent on the memory or knowledge of people who may not know the correct information or have the wrong information. Malcolm Parent, one of Francois and Martine's sons was the informant for the death certificate. He wrote that his father was born in Quebec (he was born in Sutton, Ontario). He did not know his mother's maiden name which is curious. At the time of his death Francois and Martine were living in Midland, Ontario. Francois died on December 24, 1922 (Christmas Eve!) and he was buried on December 26, 1922, he was 80 years old. That must have been a very sombre Christmas for the Parent family. On the death certificate it stated that Francois was under the care of a physician since 1919, three years before his death. The primary cause of death was listed as heart failure but the contributory cause was listed s being gangrene. Francois must have had an infection from an injury and due to poor circulation it festered and became gangrenous which led to his ultimate heart attack, a terrible way to go.
Martine survived Francois by another twelve years. After Francois passed away Martine moved in with her daughter, Francis Martha Parent and Napoleon Paul Leclair. They lived at 269 4th Street in Midland, Ontario. According to her death certificate Martine had been living with her daughter and son-in-law for twelve years which means that when Francois passed away she moved in with her daughter. Martine's father is listed as John Saintamore, his actual name was Jean St. Amand, but I can see how 'St. Amand' can be mispronounced as 'Saintamore'. Of course 'Saintamore' sounds more romantic.Martine's cause of death was listed as bronchial pneumonia and the secondary cause was listed as senility although I am not sure what senility had to so with Martine's death. Apparently Martine had been under the doctor's care since March 1, 1934 until her death, a period of four months so I suspect that it was a slow decline during those four months. The death certificate also stated that Martine had been senile for the past five years. Unfortunately, I could not make out the name of the attending physician, his signature is too convoluted. Martine died on June 24th (St. Jean Baptiste Day) and she was buried in the Roman Catholic Church cemetery in Midland on June 26, 1934. She was 87 years old.
I know this blog post is a little long but I want to end it with a story that my cousin Leonard Parent told me when I visited him in Alberta last summer. This is a story about Francois and Martine. When I met Leonard for the first time I was with my wife, my son and his wife. We spent a fair amount of time at his house in Lacombe, Alberta. he showed us pictures of our ancestors, pictures that I had never seen so it was all very interesting. When we looked at pictures of our great grandparents, Francois and Martine, Leonard told me this story about their grave stone. A number of years ago, Leonard made a trip to the area around Lake Simcoe where Simon, Francois and Nicklous Parent had lived. He went to Midland, Ontario to find the grave of Francois and Martine. Armed with a cemetery plan he set out in the cemetery to find out where they were buried. He found the spot where their grave was supposed to be but there was nothing to make the spot. Leonard got someone from the cemetery office to help him. The cemetery person agreed that Leonard had the right location. Using a shovel he started to dig where the headstone should have been. About eighteen inches deep he hit something. When the dirt and debris was cleared away they found the concrete footing for a headstone. Francois and Martine's names were engraved in the concrete. Leonard said that it looked like someone took a sharp took and used it to inscribe their names in the concrete. Leonard did not want to leave our great grandparents grave without a marker so he and our aunt Irene paid for a proper gravestone to mark the spot where Francois Parent and Martine St. Amand are buried. So now when we go to the grave yard we should have no trouble finding their grave.
Francois Parent was born on May 1, 1842 in Sutton which is in what is now called Georgina township in York county although in 1842 Sutton was part of North Gwillimbury before the two townships were amalgamated. Francois' parents were Simon Parent (1793 - 1874) and Josephte Andre dit St. Amand (1809 - 1891). It is interesting to note that Francois was born just five years after the 1837 rebellion lead by Mackenzie King, the grandfather of one of our most notable prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King. I mention this because the rebellion was largely centered North of Toronto in the county of York where Francois was born. It is probably that Francois' father, Simon Parent, would have been living in the North Gwillimbury when the rebellion took place. In the very least, he would have known about the rebellion. It is insightful to be able to put our ancestors into a historical context. It helps us to understand them in a historical context because they lived in a historical time.
The first record that I have of Francois Parent is in the 1861 Census of Canada, Enumeration District 2, North Gwillimbury, in the county of York. He is listed as being 17 years old and single. This listing of Francois' age does not add up. If he was born in 1842 then in 1861 he would have been 19, not 17. This will be verified later in 1868.
Francois' occupation was listed as 'labourer'. I would interpret the term 'laborer' as someone who was working on a farm. What I understand from my cousin Leonard Parent is that Francois was probably working on the farm of an older Parent relative. We can also assume that Francois had probably been working on a farm since he was very young and that he probably did not have any formal education. The Census record indicates that Francois spoke French but that he could not read or write .
The Census list Francois' place of birth as 'CW' which I interpret as being Canada West because he was born in Sutton which was in North Gwillimbury, county York, Canada West. In the Census, Francois Parent is listed as Frank Perault. This change of name started with Francois' father Simon. Since the Census takers were most likely all anglophones they had to interpret what they heard and write it down as they understood it. Since Neither Francois or Simon, or any of the Parents could read or write at that time the responsibility for documenting their name rested with the Census taker. I imagine that is how Francois became Frank and how Parent became Perault. Depending on how they pronounced 'Parent' it could sound like 'Perault' to the ear of the unilingual anglophone.
The next reference that I have for Francois Parent is his marriage record in 1868. Francois Parent and Martine St. Amand were married on February 15, 1868. At the time of their marriage, Francois was 26 years old and living in North Gwillimbury. Martine was 20 years old. Unfortunately, I cannot make out her residence. All that I can read is 'Mara'. I am not sure where that would be.I did find on Family Search.com that Martine St. Amand was born in St. Ignace, Soulange, Quebec which would be consistent with the fact that Simon was born there and knew the St. Amand family because he married Josette Andre Dit St. Amand, Martine's cousin. Francois' age is in line with his date of birth so the age listed in the 1861 Census was incorrect, Francois would have been 19 years old in 1861. In the marriage record Francois is listed as being born in 'CW' (Canada West?) and his parents were Simon Parent and Josette St. Amand. According to Family search, Francois and Martine were married at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church in Beaverton, Ontario. According to the marriage record Francois and Martine were married by Father Braire. Father Braire was the parish priest of St. Joseph's church in Beaverton from 1860 until 182. This would verify that Francois and Martine were married at St. Joseph's church.
During their fifty four years of marriage Francois and Martine raised six children, two daughters and four sons; Elizabeth Frances Parent (1869 - 1911), George Parent (Perrault) (1872 - 1952), Alfred Eldon Parent (1876 - 1959), Nicklous 'Nick' Parent (1880 - 1966), and Francis Martha Parent (1886 - 1956). The information that I have to date on the Children is incomplete. George Parent was baptized on April 24, 1872. Josep Parent, Paul Parent and their wives were the sponsors. The officiating priest was father L. Briare which means that the baptism took place at St. Joseph's church in Beaverton, Ontario. Alfred was married on May 11, 1903 to Rose Alba Lalonde, he was 28 years old which seems to be old to be married at that time. His residence was listed as Tiny, Ontario. Rose was also a resident of Tiny, Ontario. her parents were Joseph Lalonde and Liza Grenier. The witnesses were Michelson Parent and Delima St. Amand. The officiating priest was J.E. Beaudoin (cure). The last record I have is the baptism of Francis Martha Parent. She was born on October 8, 1886 and baptised on January 8, 1887. Her place of birth was listed as St. Patrick. Her parents were Francois Parent and her mother was listed as Martha Andre The sponsors were Philias Pelletier and Elizabeth Parent. The officiating priest was father Joseph Gibbons.
Now is the sad part, the death of Francois Parent and Martine St. Amand. I have the death certificates for Francois and Martine. According to Francois' death certificate he died of heart failure at Sunnyside hospital in Midland. I am always surprised at how basic information on a death certificate is either wrong or missing, but then again it is dependent on the memory or knowledge of people who may not know the correct information or have the wrong information. Malcolm Parent, one of Francois and Martine's sons was the informant for the death certificate. He wrote that his father was born in Quebec (he was born in Sutton, Ontario). He did not know his mother's maiden name which is curious. At the time of his death Francois and Martine were living in Midland, Ontario. Francois died on December 24, 1922 (Christmas Eve!) and he was buried on December 26, 1922, he was 80 years old. That must have been a very sombre Christmas for the Parent family. On the death certificate it stated that Francois was under the care of a physician since 1919, three years before his death. The primary cause of death was listed as heart failure but the contributory cause was listed s being gangrene. Francois must have had an infection from an injury and due to poor circulation it festered and became gangrenous which led to his ultimate heart attack, a terrible way to go.
Martine survived Francois by another twelve years. After Francois passed away Martine moved in with her daughter, Francis Martha Parent and Napoleon Paul Leclair. They lived at 269 4th Street in Midland, Ontario. According to her death certificate Martine had been living with her daughter and son-in-law for twelve years which means that when Francois passed away she moved in with her daughter. Martine's father is listed as John Saintamore, his actual name was Jean St. Amand, but I can see how 'St. Amand' can be mispronounced as 'Saintamore'. Of course 'Saintamore' sounds more romantic.Martine's cause of death was listed as bronchial pneumonia and the secondary cause was listed as senility although I am not sure what senility had to so with Martine's death. Apparently Martine had been under the doctor's care since March 1, 1934 until her death, a period of four months so I suspect that it was a slow decline during those four months. The death certificate also stated that Martine had been senile for the past five years. Unfortunately, I could not make out the name of the attending physician, his signature is too convoluted. Martine died on June 24th (St. Jean Baptiste Day) and she was buried in the Roman Catholic Church cemetery in Midland on June 26, 1934. She was 87 years old.
I know this blog post is a little long but I want to end it with a story that my cousin Leonard Parent told me when I visited him in Alberta last summer. This is a story about Francois and Martine. When I met Leonard for the first time I was with my wife, my son and his wife. We spent a fair amount of time at his house in Lacombe, Alberta. he showed us pictures of our ancestors, pictures that I had never seen so it was all very interesting. When we looked at pictures of our great grandparents, Francois and Martine, Leonard told me this story about their grave stone. A number of years ago, Leonard made a trip to the area around Lake Simcoe where Simon, Francois and Nicklous Parent had lived. He went to Midland, Ontario to find the grave of Francois and Martine. Armed with a cemetery plan he set out in the cemetery to find out where they were buried. He found the spot where their grave was supposed to be but there was nothing to make the spot. Leonard got someone from the cemetery office to help him. The cemetery person agreed that Leonard had the right location. Using a shovel he started to dig where the headstone should have been. About eighteen inches deep he hit something. When the dirt and debris was cleared away they found the concrete footing for a headstone. Francois and Martine's names were engraved in the concrete. Leonard said that it looked like someone took a sharp took and used it to inscribe their names in the concrete. Leonard did not want to leave our great grandparents grave without a marker so he and our aunt Irene paid for a proper gravestone to mark the spot where Francois Parent and Martine St. Amand are buried. So now when we go to the grave yard we should have no trouble finding their grave.
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